This collection of Criminal Jury
Instructions is intended as a guide for judges and attorneys in
constructing charges and requests to charge and as a general reference
to criminal offenses and their elements. The use of these instructions
is entirely discretionary and their publication by the Judicial Branch
is not a guarantee of their legal sufficiency.

The committee would like to honor the late Ronald J. Fracasse, who
was a member of the original Criminal Jury Instructions Committee
and chaired the committee from 1993 until 2006. The committee drew
heavily on the earlier editions of Connecticut Selected Jury
Instructions Criminal and owes a debt of gratitude to Judge Fracasse’s leadership in that effort.

In producing this 4th edition of
Criminal Jury Instructions, the committee undertook a complete
rewriting of the 3rd edition and added over 100 new instructions.
See About this Edition for a
complete description of the committee’s approach to revising the
instructions.